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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rash — a series
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. kick — in football
  13. key — for a lock
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. toast — bread
  17. chest — a box
  18. key — in music
  19. rash — hasty
  20. key — the most important part
  21. mine — for digging
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rock — music
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com